A Mesa high school science teacher being held in a Mexican jail in Hermosillo for more than a month after a gun was found in her travel bag could be released next week if she is finally able to appear before a judge on Monday as currently scheduled, her family reports.
Kayria Rosales, 29, and two male friends were taken into custody March 11 while traveling to Rocky Point for spring break. An initial court hearing scheduled for the three on March 15 was delayed, but Brandon Griffin and Mike Corder were later released and returned to the United States on March 19.
Rosales, however, is still in custody and faces up to six years in a Mexican prison if convicted. Her family believed a few weeks ago that her release was imminent upon payment of a court fine, but that fell through.
One issue is that Rosales needs to first see a judge. That has not happened as of April 19, according to Rosales’ sister, Audra Rosales Ward. On Monday, Rosales called her family to report an April 26 court date has been set.
“This means she could be home by Tuesday!” Ward wrote.
Ward has been posting updates about her younger sister on a GoFundMe page established to help the three friends with their legal expenses. More than 240 people have donated nearly $19,000, with many donations coming from students, parents, and staff of Red Mountain High School where Rosales has worked for more than three years.
According to Ward, the family is “extremely frustrated” with the delays but “Kayria is hanging in there.” Her father was recently allowed to visit Rosales in Hermosillo.
Rosales’s arrest happened due to her sister’s rush to get ready for a last minute trip, Ward has said.
“Unfortunately, during her quick packing for Rocky Point, Kayria grabbed a bag that she forgot had a gun stored in,” Ward noted. “At Mexican border they were pulled over and searched. A gun was found in her bag and the three of them were immediately arrested.”
Even though Rosales took responsibility for the gun in her statement to Mexican authorities, Griffin and Corder were also arrested.
“She feels heartbroken that her friends have been subjected to such an experience,” Ward noted, adding that monies raised from the GoFundMe activity were first spent to ensure the release of the two men.
“Kayria won’t have it any other way,” Ward noted.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico advises that persons violating Mexican laws -even unknowingly- may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.
“If you break local laws in Mexico, your U.S. citizenship will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution,” according to the embassy’s website. “If arrested in Mexico, a U.S. citizen must go through the foreign legal process including possible charge or indictment, prosecution, possible conviction and sentencing, and any appeals process.”
For now, the family is passing along words of encouragement to Rosales that can be sent via BringKayriaHome@gmail.com
https://www.gofundme.com/f/freedom-for-mesa-school-teacher-kayria-rosales